It's summer time and with it comes the opportunity to relax and recoup. Whether school has left you exhausted, work just doesn't seem to let up, or relationships are strained, you deserve a break. One you may haven't thought of? Forest bathing.
Forest bathing, or shinrin-yoku is the Japanese practice of spending time in nature, specifically forests. It seems obvious that spending time outdoors can make you feel better but the science-back evidence supporting the practice shows the multitude of ways forests can improve your mind and body.
Like a sip of green tea, forests can boost your immune system. A healthy body contains natural killer (NK) cells (https://www.sciencedaily.com/terms/natural_killer_...). These white blood cells are the knights in shining armor of your immune system. When a virus or tumor infects your body, they defend it. In a 2005 study, groups of men and women participated in a 3 day forest trip. Their NK count was noted before and after the trip. Not only did NK levels shoot up after the excursion, they stayed at those levels 30 days after (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC279334...).
Forest bathing is also good for your heart. In multiple studies forests were proven to hormone and autonomic nervous functions, reducing blood sugar levels and high blood pressure (http://www.journal-of-cardiology.com/article/S0914...).
A walk in the pines can also intensify focus. In participants who took a twenty minute walk in the forest, concentration improved better than a walk downtown or around the neighborhood (http://jad.sagepub.com/content/12/5/402).
Green space has also been linked to lowered stress levels and anxiety. Studies show that just looking at greenery can lower cortisol levels (http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/90720.html). Out in nature, phytoncides, or antimicrobial compounds present in plants have also been proven to relax the mind. For most of us, spending 100% of your time backpacking in the forests is not possible. This evidence suggests that simply having a house plant, lighting a cedar-scented candle, and looking out the window at a local park are effective supplements to forest bathing outings (http://www.outsideonline.com/1870381/take-two-hour...).
